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  New Catholic Bishop Will Start in December

By Tricia L. Nadolny
Concord Monitor
September 19, 2011

http://www.concordmonitor.com/blogentry/280789/new-catholic-bishop-will-start-in-december?CSAuthResp=1316506050%3A6rilaqgof7qv5vliv1rsk141k2%3ACSUserId|CSGroupId%3Aapproved%3A5187FE7D2FCC80DB9EA1D5D4CAD50E0D&CSUserId=94&CSGroupId=1

Peter.jog Peter Anthony Libasci speaks to the New Hampshire Food Bank Executuive Director Melanie Gosselin on Monday Sept. 19, 2011. Libasci was named next bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Manchester that morning.Purchase photo reprints at PhotoExtra »

Peter Anthony Libasci was named the next bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Manchester this morning by the Vatican. He will replace Bishop John B. McCormack, who is retring at the end of the year.

Libasci, formerly the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in Rockville Centre, N.Y., will officially take office on Dec. 8 after a transition period in which McCormack will serve as the interim bishop.

"Seeing these wonderful warm smiling faces, welcome, welcome, welcome, and all I can say is 'Thank you. Thank you so very, very much," Libasci, 59, said at a press conference at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Manchester. "My eagerness, my hope, is in these next few days and weeks and moths and years (is to) more and more promote the beauty of the church in New Hampshire."

In his more than 30 years with the Roman Catholic Church, Libasci has served as pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel parish in Inwood, N.Y., and pastor of St. Therese of Lisieux parish in Montauk, N.Y. He became auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre in 2007.

Libasci said he is not coming to Manchester with any preconceived goals other than to listen intently to those familiar with the state and the church's challenges here.

"I need to take time to seriously see what's going to be the most important things, what to do and the direction of the diocese," he said. "So I can't establish goals at this moment but very eagerly will be looking forward to doing that as they become very, very apparent."

McCormack, who announced his retirement plans in August 2010, has served as bishop since 1998.

Libasci will spend today visiting several sites in Manchester including Trinity High School, the New Hampshire Food Bank and the Presentation of Mary Convent.

Tricia L. Nadolny can be reached at 369-3306 or tnadolny@cmonitor.com

 
 

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